Local Meat to Local Schools: Lessons Learned from the Montana Beef to School Project

Many folks all over the nation are organizing to get local ingredients into public schools and other institutions as a way to support local farmers as well as improve the quality and healthfullness of school food. Fruits and vegetables have been the low-hanging fruit; local meat and animal products can be much more challenging to get on school menus. Not only does local meat tend to be more expensive, it may be more seasonal in nature or available in smaller quantities than boxed meat. It may also require special preparation for schools that lack cooking facilities or equipment.

The Montana Beef to School Project is a three-year collaborative project between several Montana beef producers and processors, schools and many stakeholders represented in the Montana Beef to School Coalition. Hear from one of the project leaders, Thomas Bass of Montana State University Extension along with one of the key processing partners, Jeremy Plummer of Lower Valley Processing in Kalispell, about what they learned over the three years of this project.

Some of what you will learn in this webinar shall include:

Discover the creative ways schools are working with producers and processors in Montana to procure local Montana beef.

Bring tested beef to school strategies to your own community through lessons learned from case studies across six beef to school partnerships in Montana.

Hear from the processor about the equipment, ordering systems, distribution, pricing, and other logistics of selling beef to schools.

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